Sequel coming soon

BERLIN -- Italy and France won't have to wait long for a rematch. They'll play each other Sept. 6 in Paris in a qualifying match for the 2008 European Championship .

Their meeting in the 2000 final, which France won, 2-1, was a classic -- Les Bleus scored the equalizer four minutes into added time, then David Trezeguet scored the golden goal 13 minutes into overtime.

Since the top two teams from each of the seven groups advance to the quadrennial tournament, which will be held in Switzerland and Austria, both squads have a good chance to qualify out of a group that also includes Ukraine, Scotland, Lithuania, Georgia, and the Faeroe Islands.

German coach Juergen Klinsmann has gone from goat to Gott after bringing the Mannschaft to third place. ``Klinsi, you must stay!" beseeched Bild, the newspaper that wanted him stuffed into a sausage a few months ago. A poll released this weekend said that 95 percent of the populace wants Klinsmann to stay with the team through the Euros . . . Seven of the men who played in the championship match are finalists for the Golden Ball awarded to the tournament's Most Valuable Player, which will be announced today . Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, and Gianluca Zambrotta were nominated by FIFA's technical study group, which also tapped France's Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Vieira. Germany's Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack and Portugal's Maniche are the other finalists. Conspicuous by their absence are the Brazilians, who've won two of the last three MVPs with Ronaldo (1998) and Romario (1994). German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who was a reserve this time, won in 2002 . . . This was only the seventh time in 18 Cups that there hasn't been a South American team in the final . . . Besides being the first Argentine to referee a Cup final, Horacio Elizondo is also the first man to referee both the first and last matches of the tournament.

The pre game and halftime ceremonies included performances by Toni Braxton, Shakira, and Placido Domingo . . . The VIP list included United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, France president Jacques Chirac, Bill Clinton, former FIFA president Joao Havelange, former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, former and current German chancellors Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel. South Africa president Thabo Mbeki, Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, and Monaco's Prince Albert . . . Italy coach Marcello Lippi said he replaced Francesco Totti in the 61st minute because he was losing effectiveness. ``[Totti] couldn't do it," Lippi said. "He probably paid for the 120 minutes he played against Germany. He hasn't recovered totally from injury."